Mobile App Security – Things That You Should Know

In recent times, the use of mobile applications has increased. Almost all people around the world are dependent on mobile apps for everything from shopping to paying bills to playing games to performing banking transactions.

However, various global businesses are developing feature-rich and advanced quality mobile apps, enabling their customers to do various tasks from the comfort of their home. When it comes to talking about the security, mobile apps are a very easy target for hackers, putting your private and confidential data at a high risk.

Mobile app security is the extent of protection, which mobile apps have from malware and other viruses. However, this term also defines other technologies and production practices, which decreases the risk of exploiting to mobile devices through their applications.

Approximately 80% of the most popular iOS or Android apps have been hacked.

85% of free Android apps and 45% of the same free Apple iOS apps were found to have been hacked.

Thus, it is essential to improve security across all domains of an app as it plays an important role in mobile apps.

Here are some of the important things about mobile app security that you should know:

Secure the Code: Developing Hack-proof Application

There are high chances that a mobile application is vulnerable to malware attacks and data intrusion and so it’s imperative that developers pay extra attention to writing secure and robust code, which is free from bugs and security vulnerabilities that in turn could be exploited by hackers.

Recent research by Infosecurity, shows that malicious codes have affected more than 11.6 million mobile devices at any given time, and day-by-day, the number of mobile malware samples is constantly growing at a rapid pace, increasing twentyfold in 2013.

For app developers, it is a must that they implement mobile app security standards and ensure that their developed applications use, transmit or store bare minimum data. Throughout the whole lifecycle of mobile app development, security should be the main thing to consider, from designing, development & testing to deployment, maintenance and support.

Secure the Data from Leakage & Theft

Do you know that when mobile apps access enterprise data, docs and other information are often stored on the device? In any case, if the device is lost and stolen or when the data is shared with non-enterprise apps, the potential for data loss is increased.

Today, you can find a lot of enterprises that are already looking forward to “remote wipe” capabilities so that they can easily address lost devices. Within the application sandbox, mobile data encryption can be utilised accurately against malware and other kinds of viruses or criminal access. An individual data element must be encrypted and controlled to control the application data sharing on the device.

Make Sure to Perform Test Thoroughly

The most important security check you can perform is by choosing to thoroughly test the application you create. Applications are worked on by various people and contain numerous versions while in development and into post-production.

At every stage of development, mobile app security should be the main priority. It is also important that you make sure your application is mainly designed considering the security regulations given by the credit card industry. You should also update your application on a frequent basis.

Opt for the Latest Cryptography Techniques

When it comes to talking about the cryptographic technique, this is a highly advanced technique that is used in developing a safe and secure VPN. Most popular and widely used cryptographic protocols and algorithms like MD5 and SHA1 are not enough as per modern security standards

Thus, it would be good for you to opt for state-of-the-art encryption APIs like 256-bit AES encryption combined with SHA-256 for hashing. Being a developer, it is a good choice for you to invest in threat modelling, penetration testing and more.

Choosing a High-end Backend:

While developing mobile apps, security of backend systems also plays an important role. Hackers are able to gain access to the backend systems and to your whole operation. So, it would be a good option for you to choose a high-end and reliable backend systems and should also go through robust security testing before eventual deployment.

Get Rid of Unnecessary Security Risks:

As we all know, the mobile application has its own collection of features. However, there are some features that are not essential to the overall functioning of the app like social network connectivity.

It’s a must for professional designers and developers to pay special attention to such features and make a call whether they need to keep them within the application or not. These are highly advanced security features that should be managed efficiently to make sure overall app security and if they are not required, you can remove them.

Enable User Permissions:

Mobile app developers can make their device more secure and safe as they just need to execute security measures at the application layer for granular control over the application. It also enables users to choose their own level of security settings based on personal preferences and keeping their devices safe and secure from malicious applications.

So, these are some of the major things about mobile app security that everyone should know while developing a mobile app. Developing a safe and secure app plays an important role in making it successful.

However, if you have your own unique mobile app idea in your mind, you can get in touch with best app developers in the UK and discuss your idea to get an instant solution. They can polish your idea with their expertise and develop a high-end app that takes your business to the next level.